Where Does Your Loyalty Lie?

There are a few purchases that make you feel like an adult, and it’s not the mortgage or life insurance that I’m talking about. When I bought a “sensible” wallet (as opposed to whatever pretty little bag I’d been carrying before), it marked a very grown up decision. I needed something that could hold all of my identification; a section for cash and for my change and tokens; a section for receipts and cheques; and a section for my loyalty cards.

Ah loyalty cards, there’s the rub. That section started to bulge and poke out very quickly. I had cards from airlines, coffee shops, video game stores, the sandwich place down the street, gas stations across the city, and my favourite shoe shop. If you’re like most Canadians, you have an average of 8.2 loyalty cards in your wallet…and that can create an unsightly bulge pretty quickly.

“There are hundreds of loyalty programs vying for consumers’ attention, appealing to a variety of preferences and offering many kinds of rewards. All of the information available makes it difficult for people to select the programs that are more suited for them,” explains Ken Wong, The Distinguished Marketing Professor, Queen’s School of Business. “Finding the programs that can get you to the rewards you want, faster, has been challenging until now.”

Now, there is a new, free online tool to help Canadians find the loyalty programs that can help get them to their rewards faster: www.compareloyaltyprograms.ca. By answering a few simple questions about their preferred rewards, lifestyle and shopping habits, Canadians will easily discover which programs will get them to their desired rewards faster.

The questionnaire took less than five minutes and suggested a card that I already have (and make good use of), and one I hadn’t carried. Based on their extensive research, I’ll be signing up for that one.

I’m putting my wallet on a diet and paring down my loyalty cards with the help of this new tool.